Poll: What’s Your Re-Launch Strategy?

The DC re-launch has dominated the comics conversation since its announcement, and readers are in varying stages of acceptance. But not everyone’s grieving. I’ve heard a handful of people say that this (mostly) clean slate approach is not only necessary, but also smart. The medium is struggling, and most fans would agree that something needs to be done. But is this it?

I’ve got my opinions, but as a consumer with no business experience — and comics are a business — I don’t exactly have a strategic plan for the industry. There are aspects of the re-launch that I find upsetting (feathers on Tim!), and I’m definitely sad to see some of my favorite titles and characters go missing. However, as a Nerd Lunch essay pointed out, it’s not really About Me, and the decision’s been made. So as a reader, I’ve got two choices: Give the new titles a try and make judgments accordingly, or break up with DC. We’ve been together since I was 7 or 8, so I’m not yet ready to call the moving van. Some of the books will be good to great, and others will be mediocre to sucky. That’s pretty much the way it is now.

While I am skeptical, I want this radical plan to succeed because I love comics. When they’re done right, reading them can be a magical experience, or at least a greatly entertaining one. I think more people would agree if they’d just pick one up, but getting comics into the hands of non-readers these days is a mighty big challenge. DC is taking a big gamble in the hopes that old fans will stick around and new ones will be attracted to less intimidating #1 issues.

What’s your take on the re-launch strategy? Are you ready to give it a try or packing your proverbial suitcases?

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I broke up with DC a few years back and kept our relationship on a friend basis at a distance with the purchase of the occasional trade paperback. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still in love with DC but they broke my heart, and my wallet, too many times.
I’ll wait to see how this “reboot” plays out and then decide if I will buy the trades, if they come out.

I have collected Wonder Woman for a very long time and as she is my favourite I will continue to do so until I see what crap has been hurled her way. They have messed with Diana many a time and have really been giving her the short end of the stick considering that she is suppose to be part of the “Trinity”. But I will say this, if they do make her start having kissy face with Superman, I will have to stop collecting because that relationship has been tried many a time in Elseworld books and it is unimaginative and tired, which is what I think this desperate revamp really is.
I do not trust it because it seems to stem not from wanting to create a new direction or fan-base but because of DC’s janky legal woes with the families who have deserved rights to the Superman character. They are just acting desperate and greedy and that just turns my stomach. And because of this we fans and all of the other titles have to suffer.

I’m interested in your interest in Wonder Woman. I’ve always found her to be a rather bland character, and I was wondering what you like about her. I do not mean to offend here. I’m a big fan of Tim Drake, and I’m sure some consider him to be boring. To each there own. I’m just curious what intrigues you about Wonder Woman. What keeps drawing you back? As you said yourself, she has gone through a lot of mini-revamps. I never felt like I really knew who she was outside the costume.

Hi there! No offense taken whatsover. I’ve loved Wonder Woman since I was kid, and when she’s written well, she’s this great blend of power and vulnerability. The contrast between her inner warrior and her love of mankind intrigues me, but I think she’s a hard character to write. You can’t make her too flawless, but going too far in the other direction (See: Odyssey) doesn’t work either. Part of the blandness probably stems from the fact that many writers don’t get her. Perez and Rucka sure did, and Simone’s run had some great parts. I guess I see in her what a lot of people see in Superman: She’s the icon; the ideal. And she kicks ass! :-)

I am not offended by your question at all Psycho. : )
I fell in love with the character of Diana when I was little. I wanted to play Superheros and all the boys had Batman or Superman or even Robin to look up to. And the only females they would suggest were Batgirl and Supergirl they were all derivatives of the males and were often seen (by the boys as less than the male counterparts (well that is until they reached puberty and started to sexualize them.) ) When I discovered Diana I was so HAPPY! She had her own history, she was not a copy of a male character, she came from a unique mythological culture ( I loved reading and studying the Greek myths) and she was strong, smart, a warrior, not afraid, loving and kind. She was/is a wonderful combination of ferocity and gentleness. And I found that amazing! She is and can be a many facetted heroine! That is when she is written and drawn well. As E. said you should really scope out how George Perez and Greg Rucka’s run with her, which are stellar! Perez revamped her into her shining potential as a character and Rucka illuminated her! You must check out her battle with Medusaa which was broadcast to the whole world via tv! What Diana did I do not even think that Superman or Batman would have had the stones to do. And also her penultimate choice with Max Lord, again what she did neither Clark nor Bruce could have made that ultimate sacrifice, and accept the the consequences. As much as people say that Diana is a flawless character, too beautiful, she talks peace but is a warrior,(like one cannot do what is necessary if needed) she is for me the ultimate realist for she knows and sees the good the bad and the ugly, but she always tries to bring it all into the light. That is why I follow her books with a unconditional love per se, she is a role model to me. and if that makes me a bit of a dork then I am the best dressed dork in Toronto. ; )
I will close this long answer with a quote from Gail Simone about WW/Diana because for what she said is the same for me! : )
Pax
Heburn : )

Diana knows who she is. She’s confident and at ease with herself. That’s not to say that she won’t misstep, but it won’t be out of doubt as to her self-worth or importance.

I played with this a little in Birds of Prey, that Diana is, without even trying, a role model to the already exceptional female heroes in the DCU. Just by being who she is, without apology, she makes characters like Black Canary reach a little higher, and be a little more compassionate. She’s a great counter-balance to characters like Batman in that regard.

“My Diana enjoys a good scrape, but approaches combat as the best warrior the DCU has ever had. She’s a chess player as a fighter, and does no more harm than necessary.

And she’s a devoted and true friend. There are darn few characters in comics that can even begin to approach the levels of dynamic complexity that she shows.

Woo hoo! Glad to hear the support for Tim. I hope this revamp doesn’t rape his back story too badly. I’m driving up to see a fellow comic book near friend tonight (I converted him to the glory of comic collecting), and we are going to see what we can scrape up in various comic stores in his neck of the woods.

I can see the angle on Wonder Woman’s back story. I also love Greek mythology, and it always fun to see the comic book interpretations of the ancient tales. I also get the idea of her being the female epitome, much like Superman, but they’ve worked hard to make Superman just a tad flawed, and I’ve never really picked that up off of Wonder Woman. Granted, I did catch her killing Max Lord (that’s a bit hard to miss if you follow the DCU), and I found that interesting. I agree that Burce and Clark would not have done that. Honestly, all the Superheroes are a bit crazy for not killing off the recurring supervillains, but if they did that, we would lose the rogues gallery, and that would be no good.

Tangent aside, perhaps I just haven’t found a well written Wonder Woman. I remember picking up One Year Later Wonder Woman; I had hoped they would do something more to my liking, but I quickly lost interest. I’ll keep an eye out for the Perez/Rucka run.

Oh, another thing you mentioned that I did like about Wonder Woman is the way she inspires people. This is an aspect of the character which I think fills a good niche.From what I’ve seen, Diana focuses more on inspiring people than any other hero. Granted, Superman is the superman, but that is mostly a byproduct of his actions. Diana seems to consciously decide to set an example and push others to be their best.

So what do you think about the pants on WW revamp? Is it a good change or is she too much of an icon?

Diana is one of the only heroes that actually has a reason for what she does. She was not sent from another planet and got her gifts as a by product of a yellow sun, her parent was not tragically killed in front of her eyes thus spurred her on to becoming vengeance and the night, she was not chosen and given a special ring by a group of ancient and benevolent beings, nor was she bitten by a very angry spider.
She was created for a purpose, to pass on the Amazon message of equality and peace, and she tries her best to live up to that purpose, sometimes she fails, often she is misunderstood, she is not perfect and she knows this but often others forget that she is not and then they are let down by their own views of her. One of my favourite moments of her’s was when she battled Superman and asked Max Lord, via her lasso, how to stop him from controlling Superman. He told her and she did what had to be done, she broke his neck, which is the most humane way to kill someone.
She is someone who I would LOVE to have as a friend.

As for her new trousers, I can understand them they are practical and they do not bother me. But I do wish her outfit had a more Greek theme to it for that is her heritage.
I know so people have complained “how can she run around in a bathing suit, but what of the other super females and even the villains some of them wear less and use their sexuality as a distraction in their favour (ie: Catwoman, Poison Ivy,Powergirl, Starfire, Emma Frost, to name but a few). I do like the aforementioned characters but Diana has never been seen to draw attention to her physical attributes to stop someone or to get what she wants.
But who knows they may ditch this revamp after a few months just like new Coke did and go back to Coke Classic! : )

As for Tim’s new outfit he looks like an extra in some Cirque de Soleil show… I kind of miss his old look and I would like it if they let Tim get together with Tam! : )
What do you think of his new outfit?

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. I was out of contacts when I first read your latest comments, and trying to read or write anything required me to hold my laptop five inches from my face. Quite annoying. Anyway, not wanting to cramp my neck too badly, I did not write at the time, and it has kind of been at the back of my mind ever since.

I have a problem with writing too much in response. Often, my online conversations become so large that they eventually crumble underneath their own weight. That being said, I have some time to kill and I will try to give a good response, but I might get tired or writing and bail half way through my response. Fair warning.

I enjoyed your analysis of Wonder Woman in general, but I especially latched on to the idea that Wonder Woman is the only hero with a purpose (beyond the obvious saving of lives). That is an interesting idea that sets her apart from the crowd. I also find it interesting that you mention that Diana knows she is flawed, but others forget. I can kind of see that from what little I’ve read of Wonder Woman. At least I see that others tend to see her as flawless; I haven’t seen her acknowledge her faults herself.

Regarding her pants, I think the idea of superwomen running around in revealing outfits is rather ridiculous. With heroes that are near invulnerable like Wonder Woman, I guess it doesn’t matter that much on a practical level, but I’ve often flinched at the idea of Helena missing a jump and hitting concrete with forty percent of her body exposed. Ouch!

Anyway, I think it makes more sense for Wonder Woman to have pants on, but I’m not exactly sold on the design. Something seems off, and I do think Wonder Woman is too much of an icon for such a major costume change.

You mentioned the possibility of DC ditching the revamp in a few months, and I think that is likely. I’m not sure why (perhaps vain senseless hope), but for some reason, I have faith that DC will handle their properties with some intelligence. These changes they are making are too major and too unwanted. Surely they have at least a backup plan to reset the universe even if that was not the original plan. I hope I’m not wrong here.

Regarding the new Red Robin costume, I don’t hate it as a costume, but I do hate it as a Tim Drake costume. I could probably write a whole essay on it, but I can break it down into three main issues. First and foremost, it does not feel like a Bat-Family costume. Other than the mask, nothing about it has that feel. Second, it is flashy. Tim isn’t flashy. Tim is more about function than fanfare. Dick is the one who likes to make the big entrance; Tim just tries to get the job done. Third, it is not practical. The main thing that jumps out to me every time I see it is the wings. All I can think of is, “How can he protect himself with that? How can he conceal anything? How does he blend into the shadows? Those wings are too small to help with gliding so what the crap is the deal?

Thanks for the reply Psycho! And I agree with you on Tim’s new outfit. It is a tad Cirque De Soleil for my tastes and Tim is not as you said flashy or a showboat, he does what needs to be done and is efficient, so his outfit should reflect his practical nature. : ) As for Diana and the pants I see the need for them for they are more protective for her as she is a warrior at heart and spirit! AS for DC I just hope that they snap out of it and cotton on to what is going on with their characters and the books they put them in. Good artist and story telling never fail.
Thanks for sharing your ideas and thoughts, I have really enjoyed reading them!
: )

Please let me know what you think of the Perez and Rucka interpretations. They’re both REALLY good and have two distinctive points of view. The pants? I much prefer the star-spangled briefs, but I don’t hate the pants as much as I did a few months ago. Seriously, when I first saw the reveal, I was beside myself. I’m OK now. Mostly.

I haven’t had a chance to pick up a Perez/Rucka run of Wonder Woman. I cap myself at $10 a week on comic books, and that goes towards my Robin/Robin Tie-In collection. However, I did find some great deals on comics the other day. When I went to visit my friend, we hit some comic book stores, and they had a buy one get one free deal going on. They also had a lot of good stuff in their one dollar boxes (with probably about 5000 unsorted comic books). I ended up with about sixty comics for about fifty bucks. Very happy. Still haven’t read half of them.

Anyway, I read Wonder Woman 1 million (and I have been very happy with the 1 million plot line though the Wonder Woman issue was not particularly a standout), and I also read a brief Wonder Woman story in Showcase ’93. I rather liked that woman. It was a bitter sweet story wherein Wonder Woman tried to talk a woman cursed by the Greek gods out of committing suicide.

Like most everyone else I’m not really sold on the relaunch. Considering I’ve only been reading comics for a little over a year and I’m already rolling my eyes about another big, drastic change I don’t think I can be blamed for that.

I’m more curious whether Superman Earth-One came into any kind of play with this decision. I didn’t follow sales and I haven’t read the book myself, but having an overhaul this big so soon after putting a separate Earth “relaunch” on the shelves seems like testing the waters to me.

Grave reservations, seriously, and it could well mean I’ll drop back to core titles, rather than try to follow DC as a whole. That would basically mean Justice League titles, Flash, and maybe Captain Atom and/or Blue Beetle. Unless these are too mutilated to stomach… Constantine & ‘Dark’ Justice League?! Wrong on so many levels, at least at first glance. J’onn J’onzz and Stormwatch? WTF??

I was excited to see the same writer and artist stay with Jonah Hex. THEN they announced Hex is to Gotham!!?? Huh? Makes no sense to take him out of the wide open awesomeness and stick him in one place!

DC already lost me, thanks to Dan Didio, and R.E.B.E.L.S.’ cancellation marked my last monthly series. I also think the initiative is stupid from a business sense, because you don’t throw 52 badly redesigned super-heroes by thoroughly mediocre talent at the general public all at once. Spend two years cultivating books like “Superman: Earth One” behind the scenes, then publish original graphic novels by different high quality creative teams in an entirely new continuity with a broad marketing push once per quarter. That’s how you get market penetration in the non-fan marketplace, by simplifying down to a few core brands and making every single book an event. Sell “Batman: Year One” all year long, not Tony Daniel filler material for one month. DC needs more “Watchmen,” and no more collections of Judd Winick Red Hood stories or Dan Didio Outsiders. Keep that crap in the floppy ghetto for the diehards.

Paradoxically, I’ll probably buy more DC titles in September than I have in a while. There’s a lot of stuff I see here that deserves sampling, and I like Aquaman well enough that he’ll probably become my next “last” DC monthly title after the other books fall away from interest. I guess I’ll stick with Stormwatch for a while, too. Still, it’s hardly a success to lure a geek into buying geek bait, because I’m pretty sure I’m the only guy you know who’ll eye up a Blackhawk revamp…

I only recently heard about the revamp from a friend and haven’t really gotten the chance to see what all they have in store. I’m definitely anxious, but I don’t think it’ll kill my relationship with DC just yet.

Of course I’m willing to try! I’ve been with DC ever since issue #1 of the bwa-ha-ha- League. Some of it looks great, some looks intriguing while some looks like garbage but may yet surprise. I have four picked out I will definitely buy off the rack (Demon Knights, Resurrection Man, Stormwatch and Legion Lost) with another larger amount I’ll try after the digital price drop of four weeks.

Many of the third, and fourth generation of heroes I’m going to miss and I hope to see them again.

WILL BUY/TRY #1: Justice League and Justice League Dark, Birds of Prey, Mr. Terrific

I do like Frank’s idea of going the high-quality graphic novel route and chucking filler titles that even diehards aren’t crazy about. It’s so overwhelming that I’m limiting my haul to writer/artist teams and characters I like. I’m “going back to the core” of my fandom, as certain corporate types might say.

all the “process” stuff sounds great (no late books, not writing-for-the-trade, etc)! but the actual content of the serial, superhero comics aimed at adults doesn’t seem to have changed at all. that’s cool, there are still many, many adults who enjoy these comics. but they’re not going to bring in a lot of new readers, just maybe some old readers who return.
i hate to sound cynical, but it’s like repainting the titanic pink — yes it’s a radical change, but there’s still a giant hole in the boat.

it’s not exactly a secret formula that i thought up, but if they want to grow beyond the current market, DC needs to extensively and permanently invest in getting younger readers hooked on their characters in some sort of comic form, whether it’s timmiverse, manga, or hybrid comics/books. it would take a LOT of money and a LOT of time and a LOT of self-discipline, but the only way they are going to get new readers is if they get them young.
i know they’ve tried it before with underwhelming results, but if it was easy then anyone could do it, and none of the top brass would actually be needed. if they can’t make it work themselves (which sometimes happens, that’s life), they should license them to publishers who can make it work. DC regularly does picture books through harper collins, for example. or can’t they get something through the scholastic book club? and not one book, but a regular offering. they sell books in the hundreds of thousands all the time.

i mean, renumbering books and creating a jumping-in point is great, but that only works on people who are already in the comic store, trying to decide what comics to buy. it would be different if this was 1986 and a ton of comics were still being sold to casual readers in convenience stores. but it’s not.

“The only way they are going to get new readers is if they get them young.” I couldn’t agree more, Ben. The thing I don’t understand is how this is going to get young people into comic book shops, which is really the only place to get comics these days. Sure, there’s a puny spinner rack in some of the Big Box bookstores, but when my kids and I go into Borders, guess who heads toward the comics/graphic novels? Um, that would be me.

I truly think if the really wanted to garner a new audience they could focus on the animated side of some of their characters like that great new show Young Justice. Many people that I have met have gotten interested in DC comics due to the Justicel League and Justice League Unlimited cartoons which had/has a loyal following. That to me is the BEST and soundest way to introduce a new audience to comics and then they can take if from there by making the books more prominant.
But since they are just jacking everyone up including the sidekicks what is going to happen to Young Justice? I am really feeling a tad apprehensive about this revamp and for me this does not bode well because change does not usually bug me.

Hep that and the fact that we haven’t seen a new episode of YJ in months. That never bodes well for animated series either. CN will patiently wait for their new episodes for so long before they finally pull the plug. Over-attending to the quality and sacrificing deadlines in the process a third of the way through the freshman season isn’t a great way to start things off.

Well that is where they should focus on getting their new audience!! THE CARTOONS!!! They should not be jacking up faithful and loyal readers!
They sometimes work my last nerve with their janky logic “lets start all the books at number one… AGAIN! :P
They just made a big dealio about renumber Wonder Woman and now they are doing it again!

I totally agree. The cartoons are what got me interested in the first place! If they would keep going strong with those, they would get more of the younger readers in and still keep their older reader fan-base without throwing us under the bus at the opportunity for new readership.
Let’s hope they find a way to make this a win-win, though. They don’t want to sacrifice their consistent readers for new ones any more than we want them to.

Yes Psycho you are spot on with that idea but the answer to the reason why is in your statement “NO BRAINER”… there does not seem to be a brain amongst them at DC because it is not as if they have not tried this revamp thing before.
The cartoons and the development of new and good cartoons is the way to go for garnering a new and fresh audience for them!

I like the Justice League Dark idea, but it reminds me of a new sci-fi show on Fox that they market the hell out of, it’s got great potential, a great cast, and ends up lasting 4 episodes before it’s cancelled. Just enough to get you hooked.

It seems to me that the best way to get new readers on board would be to go with a different imprint. Basically, rip off marvel’s “Ultimate” strategy. DC comics does have too much back story to be immediately accessible to newbies, but if they had a simplified, back to basic, origin or close to origin series to follow, they could have a great jumping on point. Most of the Ultimate series titles might die out, but that is okay because by this point, the newbies would probably have started to crossover with mainstream DC, and if they had not previously, they could now rejoin the mainstream having s basic understanding of the universe.

As far as me personally, I don’t really buy much of the monthlies. My comic book budget has been aimed at getting back issues of Tim Drake. I have about thirty back issues to go, and I’ll have from the first Robin miniseries to the current Red Robin run. I’m very unhappy about Tim’s revamp, but perhaps it will not be too bad. If they destroy him as a character, I will think about divorcing DC.

ONE IMPORTANT THING – Does anybody know what happens if you payed for a subscription which has now been discontinued? What happens to the money I spent on Red Robin? I’ve searched for this, but found no answers. A response would be welcome.

Psycho, tell DC that you would like a refund. Demand it!
Because they are changing the product that you ordered and you are no longer satisfied.
It would be like say you ordering a subscription to “Vogue” and they changed it “Monster Truck Monthly”!
You did not ask for that so they would have to give you your dosh back. so ask for it! : )

I probably will, but I suspect it might become more trouble than it is worth. It’s not worth two hours of my time to get a twenty dollar refund. I wonder if they would transfer my subscription over to another title…

It seems to me that the best way to get new readers on board would be to go with a different imprint. Basically, rip off marvel’s “Ultimate” strategy. DC comics does have too much back story to be immediately accessible to newbies, but if they had a simplified, back to basic, origin or close to origin series to follow, they could have a great jumping on point. Most of the Ultimate series titles might die out, but that is okay because by this point, the newbies would probably have started to crossover with mainstream DC, and if they had not previously, they could now rejoin the mainstream having s basic understanding of the universe.

As far as me personally, I don’t really buy much of the monthlies. My comic book budget has been aimed at getting back issues of Tim Drake. I have about thirty back issues to go, and I’ll have from the first Robin miniseries to the current Red Robin run. I’m very unhappy about Tim’s revamp, but perhaps it will not be too bad. If they destroy him as a character, I will think about divorcing DC.

ONE IMPORTANT THING – Does anybody know what happens if you payed for a subscription which has now been discontinued? What happens to the money I spent on Red Robin? I’ve searched for this, but found no answers. A response would be welcome.

I’m a big Tim fan, too. I don’t think they’ll mess with him TOO much because he is so well-liked – that horrid costume aside. You raise some good questions about subscriptions. I get my comics directly from my shop on Wednesdays, so I don’t know. Anyone?

I hope you are right about Tim, but did you read the description of the revamped Teen Titans? Tim’s blurb does not seem to fit his previous back story. I dislike the costume too. I don’t think it is a bad design in and of itself, but it isn’t TIm’s style. Of course, neither is the Red Robin outfit. The cross the chest straps don’t work for me. The cowl grew on me, but it needed some adjustment as well. I wish they would have gone for a more stylized cowl. Something that is still essentially a cowl, but reveals more of his face.

I wanted to let you know that I got a letter from DC today that informed me that Red Robin was cancelled (as if any self-respecting comic nerd wouldn’t already know such a thing), and that I was signed up for Nightwing for the rest of my subscription. However, if I would rather have a different series or a refund, I could do that as well by calling them.

I’m sure everybody will be getting these letters, but I thought I would pass it on. I’ll probably switch to Teen Titans so I can continue to follow Tim even though I do not think I will like the writing based on an interview I saw with the new writer.

Well at least they gave you an option. I still do not like that they are not continuing Tim’s own adventures in his book.
You should go for the Titians but then like you said it does depend on how good it is.
I hope that Tim will be great in that book despite the scary Cirque de Soleil outfit they have given him.
I am going to miss Rose in the Titans she added spice.
I am tired already of this revamp thing and it has not even happened as yet.
:(
take care Psycho and thanks ever so for the update! : )

Okay, like so many, I’m a little stubborn when it comes to my fan-universes. I put alot into them. I expect alot outta them. So I’m not surprised that my first reaction to the DC “re-launch” is to finally, finally, just break up with DC. Maybe it’s the right thing to do, both emotionally and financially. I’ve been in the relationship a long time. Since I was 11. I don’t take it lightly, but I do wonder if the baggage is just weighing me down.. will I be free if I leave or just lonely? Probably both.
My thoughts right at this moment are that I’d rather remember my characters as they are — we’ve been through so much together — so many authors, artists and storylines to navigate. I’ve been on board, through thick and thin. But not now. Not with a do-over. Batgirl is now walking? Superman and Lois are not married? Birds of Prey is not written by Gail Simone? Harley Quinn looks like Swamp Thing? Wonder Woman is wearing pants?
Maybe I’m ready to let it all go and seek new directions. Maybe I’m being rigid and elderly. Am I holding true.. not just going with the power plays and the money saving tactics or am I just being Archie Bunker.. just rejecting the new and unfamiliar?
I don’t know. I just don’t know.

Hi, Emily! I wonder if there’s another option: Taking a break and waiting to see what happens after the relaunch. There will be no shortage of commentary to help you decide whether it’s worth it to give the new books a chance. The good thing is that there are tons of pre-relaunch books to re-read or discover.

Right you are! As a matter of fact, I was a little intimidated when the 52 series started and so I really only dipped my proverbial little toe in the storyline. Now, I’m thinking of diving in. So there are opportunities, as you say.
My friend Doug also offered a ray of hope that I’m hanging my hat on: “So I’m approaching it like this: it’s like when Crisis happened. It was a big shake-up, but DC got back to normal afterwords even though some things changed. I think that this relaunch will be like that, and that there will continue to be good stories told. Maybe I’m optimistic, but what can it hurt to hope for the best?”